North Dakota decisions end Fighting Sioux nickname

A state Supreme Court ruling and a Board of Higher Education decision have retired for good the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname after a four-year legal battle.

The court ruled Thursday that the board had the authority to dump the nickname at any time. The court rejected an appeal that sought to delay action.

A motion later Thursday at the board's regularly scheduled meeting in Mayville to reconsider its vote in May to retire the nickname died after nobody seconded it.

Claus Lembke, the board member who made the failed motion, said the board was "giving in to a minority of people on the issue."

Board president Richie Smith had said before the vote that he thought no further action was required to retire the nickname.

Board member and university alumnus Grant Shaft said afterward that he believes most people are tired of the controversy.

"I think people have moved to the point, for a number of reasons, that they wanted this to move along," Shaft said.

UND President Robert Kelley, who was hired in part to help the school in its transition from Division II to Division I athletics, said he's looking forward to managing the nickname transition.

"It's hard sitting on your hands waiting for a deliberate process to run its course, not knowing what the outcome would be," Kelley said after the board meeting. "Now that we have a decision from the state board, we can move ahead."

In their ruling, the justices said the board had the authority to change the nickname before a Nov. 30 deadline set in a settlement with the NCAA. A group of eight Spirit Lake Sioux tribal members who want the school to keep the nickname were seeking to have the court bar any decision before the deadline.

The state Supreme Court said nothing in the settlement prevents the board from making a decision before the deadline.

Supporters believe the logo shows pride and tradition.

But the NCAA considers the nickname "hostile and offensive" and said UND cannot host postseason events without approval from the state's two Sioux tribes. Under the settlement, the board and UND agreed to begin retiring the nickname if they couldn't obtain permission from the Spirit Lake and Standing Rock Sioux tribes by Nov. 30.

Spirit Lake tribal members have voted to support the nickname, but the Standing Rock tribal council has resisted calls for it to change its bylaws to allow a vote on the issue.

A district judge dismissed the Spirit Lake members' lawsuit in December. The state Supreme Court agreed to hear an expedited appeal after UND officials pleaded with the board to decide the issue quickly so the school could pursue admission to the Summit League.

Summit League president Tom Douple has said UND won't be considered for admission until the school finds a solution that makes the NCAA happy.